Crown Magnetar is becoming one of the most consistent deathcore bands around. With 3 albums, including this one, and 2 EPs since 2021, they have consistently delivered some of the most brutal, straightforward deathcore around, coming very, very close to elite, big four status. And The Hollowing of Godflesh does nothing to change that. The Hollowing […]
Hands up if you remember Finland’s Fall of the Leafe? Boy, I sure do. My first exposure was 2002’s Fermina, a transitional album that saw the band move away from the melodic death/black metal of their first two efforts (Evanescent, Everfading in 1998, and August Wernicke in 1999) into more progressive, gothic pastures. Fermina introduced […]
My admiration for Power Metal knows no boundaries. You know this by now, constant reader. So when I saw the promo for Valkyrie’s Fire I knew I had to hear it. Straight away I’m over here thinking these guys are European… they’re not. They hail from the hub of all things American Power Metal: Nashville, […]
Here is the self-released debut album from Chicagoan purveyors of sludge/doom metal, Shrineburner. It’s a damn solid debut, though hardly a game-changer, but it will scratch the itch for fans of Conan, Ufomammut, Usnea, Armed for Apocalypse, etc as well as the recent Fane record, and fellow Chicagoans, Minsk and Lair of the Minotaur, and […]
All trilogies must end. But when that trilogy is one as massive as Green Carnation’s A Dark Poem, the ending is bittersweet, indeed. Few bands have been able to capture the depths of human loss and the downfall of humanity to a blind technology and suffering as they have, and as the third installment is […]
When it comes to the big four Thrash bands Anthrax gets the most heat, just like my Dallas Cowboys. I feel the hate is unjust, as I have met them and been a longtime fan since their 1984 debut – Fistful of Metal. I’ve seen them live since the 80s up to the present. I […]
So there are concept albums, and then there are concept series. You may think that Mindvile is just starting out, but these guys are setting their sights on an ambitious project called ‘Stories No Tongue Should Tell’. Old Continent is set to be the first chapter in the saga, a five album saga to be […]
It’s been 9 years since Kentucky’s Tombstalker dropped their solid debut album, Black Crusades. Since then, there have been some lineup changes; drummer Dustin Boltges (Flesher, ex-Skeletonwitch) and guitarist Gruftspüre have joined the fray. And keen-eyed fans will also notice a slight change in the logo (which debuted on the 2022 EP Age Of Darkness). […]
San Francisco, California’s Cartilage gore/death/grind act is back with their third full-length album, Operating Altar. Tales from the Entrails: A Necrology was a nifty EP they released that I reviewed last year, and now they drop this 10-song, 33-minute album of revolting, brutal music. “Metal, Bone, and Sinew” starts after a short intro and a […]
Out of all Black Metal bands that come to my city, I’ve seen Dark Funeral the most. They never disappoint, and are totally consistent each time they play here. They’re one of the best live experiences I’ve ever had. So now there’s a live album called A Beast to Praise and of course it’s good. […]
After a monster year in 20205, blackened/symphonic deathcore has been a little quieter in 2026. There have been gobs of singles and digital EPs, but the full-length albums have been noticeably absent (though I’m sure I’ve missed some). The only one I currently have in my possible year-end playlist is France’s Kheos and their strangely […]
If you had told me a week ago, or whatever, time is relative… If I were to possibly be listening to the Death Metal album of the year, I would have told you that you’re full of hooey. But you see, I made an exchange with Frank Rini and he took a different album, so […]
I can add Poland’s Terrestrial Hospice to the list of bands I’ve never heard of that have more than one album under their bullet belts. It’s nothing new. I thought I was well-versed in Black Metal bands… until I started doing reviews which quickly taught me that I don’t know jack shit. Terrestrial Hospice have […]
After 5 albums since forming in 2012, Germany’s Revel in Flesh broke up in 2024. My friend, Ralf Hauber, who is the founder and singer, decided to step away from the band. Though he kept his other active bands, Heads For The Dead and Rotpit, still going strong. I have interviewed Ralf before, reviewed all […]
When I saw an email come through for a new Wormwood release, I was giddy with excitement. Sweden’s Wormwood has been one of the premier melodic black metal bands since their 2017 debut, Ghostland’s, through the trilogy of connected albums, Nattarvett, Arkivet, and 2024’s The Star. At the end of my review of The Star, […]
My quest for the wildest, balls-to-the-wall Blackened Death Metal album continues this week with a band from Bahrain called Zvindiyar, and their brand-spanking debut EP Six Rites. Straight away, I can tell I’m going to be blown away; the opening track, “Anqa,” bursts from the speakers like a rhinoceros on Crack. It’s got it all […]
Italy’s Miscreance released their terrific debut album, Convergence, four years ago, and it was a great blend of technical death metal alongside some thrash elements, rooted in 90’s style. With the lineup intact, album number two, Reminiscence, sees a greater emphasis on all things progressive as well as upping the intensity a bit. “Trait d’Union” […]
Is it me, or is the album cover with the logo and song titles on the side becoming more of a thing? Anyhoo, hailing from Tasmania, The Absolution Sequence is a technical death metal band with some deathcore/djent leanings. Apparently, they started as a ‘groove/death metal’ band for a plethora of singles and demos since […]
It’s been since 2019 that Austin’s Trench Warfare released their debut album, Hatred Prayer, and finally the underground gets to rejoice on album #2, Achtung! Destroy The Weak. A bunch has transpired since the debut album in the band’s camp. The recording lineup and current band lineup are a bit different. The debut album […]
I’ve been fucking around with Disfiguring the Goddess since 2012’s Sleeper, but the last album I actually heard from ‘Big Chocolate’ (aka Cameron Argon, formerly of Abominable Putridity and Burning the Masses) and his dubstep/techno infused take on deathcore was 2019’s Katerpillar. Now, certainly, techno and dubstep beats/programming in metal, specifically deathcore, have been used […]
As I sit down to write this review, it is currently 108° in my backyard, 94° in the house (with the swamp cooler on 73°, mind you; it’s a dry heat). Fortunately, I don’t live in Arizona, where the maniacs in Sunscorched are from. I have visited there twice, and both times in the summer, […]
It’s been a long eight years since NY’s Torturous Inception released an album. I reviewed their second album that year, Arcane Dominion, and raved about it. Now we have the third album Life’s Worth. There are a bunch of lineup switcheroos, with Gunnar Rufo joining on bass. Devon De Carlo – Guitars, Dustin Primeau – […]
What do you get when you throw The Birthday Party, Fields of the Nephilim, and Swans into a pot and stir? You get Portland’s Dry Wedding, and if you’re from Portland, then you’re probably familiar with them. The whole reason I grabbed this promo was because of the mention of The Birthday Party; they’re such […]
Parody bands have always been a ‘meh’ for me, even going back to Lawnmower Deth days and more recently, Cannabis Corpse. But England’s Jaldaboath is an exception; their two albums Rise of the Heraldic Beasts and The Further Adventures of…are both hilarious and contain brilliant songs as well as clever use of many other TV/Movie […]
Dallas, TX is home to many great things. Fantastic steak and BBQ establishments, my Dallas Cowboys, and of course, amazing death metal bands. Sallow Moth was formed by Garry Brents ten years ago, and he was a one-man show, releasing the following albums: The Larval Hope in 2020 and Stasis Cocoon in 2021. He called […]